Reggia di Colorno: The “Little Versailles” of Italy

By Dr. Alberto Lunetta, NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

If you like to travel back in time and discover the excessive luxuries of the aristocratic Italian families, you should absolutely visit Parma’s “Little Versailles:” the magnificent Reggia di Colorno!

Located in the heart of the Parmese plain in Northern Italy’s Reggio-Emilia region, this enchanting palace is rich in history and glamour. Three noble families have lived in the palace: the Farnese family, the influential Italian family that ruled the duchy of Parma and Piacenza from 1545 to 1731; the House of Bourbon, one of the most important ruling houses of Europe; and the House of Savoy, a royal dynasty that was established in 1003. Through gradual expansion, the Savoy family led the unification of Italy in 1860 and ruled the Kingdom of Italy until 1946.

The palace was originally a stronghold built by conqueror Azzo da Correggio in 1337. Noblewoman Barbara Sanseverino turned it into an aristocratic residence, but she was later arrested and beheaded in 1612 for plotting against Duke of Parma Ranuccio Farnese. He then confiscated the palace and transformed it into the summer residence of the dukes of Parma. However, the Farnese family did not use the palace much, and they were forced to give up the palace and the duchy to the Bourbon family in the 18th century due to lack of heirs. Thus began the palace’s most splendid era.

Duke Philip Bourbon, the son of the King of Spain, was a great fan of hunting and decided to move to the palace and make it his primary residence. He took with him his wife Louise Elisabeth of France, Duchess of Parma (nicknamed Babette) and the daughter of King Louis XV. She grew up in Versailles and wanted to recreate the atmosphere of the legendary French palace in a smaller scale at the Reggia. She enriched the palace with interior furnishings such as the magnificent ducal chapel of Saint Liborio that was built on a design by Ennemond Petitot.

In the 19th century, Napoleon annexed the duchy to France and gave the palace to his wife Maria Luigia of Austria of Savoy. She focused her palace improvement works on embellishing the garden by shaping it according to the English romantic tradition of the time.

After the Unification of Italy in 1860, the Province of Parma purchased the 400 rooms of palace. A few years later, the palace was turned into a mental hospital, a function it held until 1978 when restoration work began to bring back the palace to its original splendor.

The most fascinating rooms are in the first floor of the palace and boast magnificent marble floors, fireplaces, stucco decorations, engraved gilt bronze locks, and frescoed ceilings mostly dating back to the Bourbon rule. The most important room is the main hall, or “Sala Grande,” built between 1753 and 1755 by the French architect Ennemond Alexandre Petitot (1727-1801). This room is the very first example of European neoclassicism with decorations by painters Fortunato Rusca and J.B. Boudard. Other highlights also include the Music Room, the Dining Room, the Weapons Room, the duke’s 40-room apartment, and the Gallery.

The enchanting English garden, which is worth a long relaxing stroll, used to host more than 1,700 varieties of plants and trees. The rare Zelkova carpinifolia, a Caucasian tree that can grow up to 30 meters tall, is still in the garden for visitors to admire today. The garden is also the best place to shoot photos of the palace.

A not-to-be-missed highlight is the Cappella di Liborio, the palace’s church. The Cappella was initially a small private royal chapel dedicated to the patron saint of kidney diseases, of which the duke suffered. Later, the duke’s son Ferdinand expanded the chapel and turned it into a large church that was open to the public, featuring breathtaking neoclassic masterpieces such as the ceiling, the marble floor and altar, the wooden pulpit and the fine reliquaries. The impressive Serassi organ boasts 3,000 pipes. Today, it is the largest royal chapel in Italy and the second largest in Europe (after the Escorial in Madrid).

The palace currently hosts a must-see porcelain exhibition called “Masterpieces of the Great 18th Century European Manufacturers.” Hailing from different museums in Italy, these precious porcelain pieces were made by the manufactories of Meissen, Sèvres, Vincennes, Chantilly, Doccia, and Capodimonte.

Besides hosting art exhibitions and gala events, the palace and the gardens are the headquarters of ALMA, the prestigious International School of Italian Cuisine that offers advanced training courses and received the title of UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2015.

TICKETS AND VISITOR INFORMATION

Entrance ticket: Exhibition + Guided tour of the Noble Floor, Duke Ferdinando’s apartment and San Liborio’s chapel

Full ticket € 10.00

Reduced ticket € 9.00 for children aged 7 to 18, university students with ID card, over 65

Reduced for groups € 8.00: adults / schools, consisting at least 15 people

Free ticket: Children from 0 to 6 years old, disabled people with a companion

Family tickets available at reduced prices.

HOW TO GET THERE

By car From Milan and Bologna: A1 motorway – Parma exit – State Road 343 direction Colorno

From Genoa – La Spezia: A15 – A1 motorway towards Bologna – Parma exit – State Road 343 towards Colorno

From Cremona: State road 343 towards Casalmaggiore – Colorno

From Mantua: State road 420 towards Sabbioneta – Casalmaggiore – Colorno

By train Parma – Brescia line (www.trenitalia.it)

By bus Departure every hour from the Parma railway station (www.tep.pr.it)

By plane Parma “Giuseppe Verdi” Airport (parma-airport.it)

For more information call 0521.312545 or send a message to reggiadicolorno@provincia.parma.it

The magnificent Reggia di Colorno palace and its gardens, a place of delight and culture for the Dukes of Parma, will offer you an insight into the luxury life of the influential Italian families of the past. In addition to that, through September the palace hosts a not-tobe-missed pottery exhibition called “The Porcelain of the Dukes of Parma,” featuring the precious porcelain that Louise Elizabeth of France used for ducal receptions